Illuminated advertising sign



Dec. 19, 1967 J. A. BRAUDE 3,

ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING SIGN Filed March 18, 1965 14M. 4 77'0ENE7 United States Patent 3,358,394 ILLUNHNATED ADVERTISING SIGN Jeroid A. Brande, 117 N. Robertson Blvd.,

Los Angeles, Calif. 90048 Filed Mar. 18, 1965, Ser. No. 440,765 4 Claims. CI. 40-34) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An illuminated sign with a moving member having opaque surface areas with which light-passing areas are interspersed, with means to direct light toward and through said latter areas, with a member generally parallel to the moving member and having reflective surfaces that are transverse to the planes of said members and receive light that passes through the light-passing areas and reflect the same in various directions that are opposite to the movement of the latter areas with the member on which the same are provided and at different angles due to the different angular dispositions of the light-passing areas.

This invention relates to an illuminated sign to provide an attention-attracting display that is advantageously used in show windows and other places where goods are displayed and advertised, the invention having for an object to provide an illuminated sign having a fixedly positioned light source and which translates the illumination or light from said source into a projected kaleidoscopic exhibit of a large variety of multi-colored, fluttering rays.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sign, as above characterized, that is viewable at various angles of sight, thereby admirably suiting the sign for display advertising use.

The invention also has for its objects to provide novel combinations and arrangements of parts which will become clear from the following description of a preferred form thereof.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly evident as said description progresses, the same having basis on the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. lis a top view, mostly in section, showing an illuminated advertising sign embodying the features of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged and fragmentary sectional view as taken on the line 22 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a similarly enlarged and fragmentary front view, the components of the sign being broken away in a manner to clarify the illustration thereof.

The sign of the invention, as illustrated, comprises, generally, a housing 5; a light unit 6 within said housing, the light of which is visible through a window 7; an electric motor or the like 8 within and preferably centered in the housing and having a driven shaft 9 directed toward said window; a movable member 10 mounted on shaft 9 and illuminated from the rear by light from said unit 6; a mask unit 11 that partly intercepts and partly passes light that passes through the movable member 10; a cellular core 12 interposed between said mask unit 11 and the Window 7; and a second mask 13 provided to render portions of the window opaque to confine the illumination that reaches the observer to that which passes through the movable member 10.

The housing 5 may be variously shaped, rectangular, round or common polygonal shapes being contemplated. Said housing is shown with a container part 15 that has an open front end that is closed by a frame 16 which has an inner groove 17 into which the mask unit 11, the cellular core 12, and the second mask 13, as well as the window 7, are fitted.

3,358,394 Patented Dec. 19, 1967 ice Said housing 5 has a rear wall to the inner face of which the light unit 6 is aflixed, although said unit may be mounted in any suitable manner. Said light unit 6 is here shown as having a base 18 in which suitable electrical ballast for one or more electric discharge lamps 19 is housed. The common neon lamp shown is preferred as the illumination source due to low heat generation thereof. Where applicable, other sources of illumination may be used.

The motor 8 is preferably of the geared type to provide the shaft 9 with a slow rotation, six to eight r.p.m. being exemplary. It will be clear that the cord 20 represents a source of electric current for illuminating the lamps 19 and energizing the motor 8. Also, that the housing container may be vented for heat dissipation, as required.

It will be understood that the member 10 is preferably rotational and is mounted by its center on the shaft 9. As shown, said member 10 comprises a pair of transparent plates 21 between which are sandwiched a plurality of translucent strips 22 with which a plurality of less translucent or opaque strips 23 are intersected. As shown by the hatching lines of FIG. 3, the strips 22 may be alternately red and blue, although the alternation need not be one red, one blue, etc., but may be one red, two blue, two red, one blue, etc. The transverse strips are shown as black because the same provide opacity that obviates blending of the colors of the strips 22 with the color of the opaque strips. Also, said transverse strips cross the translucent strips, thereby, insofar as light transmission is concerned, breaking the latter strips into rectangular spots of color 24 interspersed with clear rectangular spots 25 defined by said strips 22 and 23.

The member It) is economically produced by applying colored cellophane strips for the strips 22 and strips of masking tape for the strips 23 and sandwiching the same between the plates 23. It will be understood that colored strips other than red and blue may be used as well as more than two colors.

The mask unit 11 is shown as a transparent plate 26 which may be painted but preferably has an opaque mask 27 applied to the front face thereof. This mask preferably comprises a plurality of reversely curved spaced stripes which define alternate and reversely curved clear stripes through which the rotating member 11 is visible.

So that the pattern of the rectangular spots 24 and 25 of the member 10 and that of the light-masking stripes 27 of the unit 11 may be generally the same over the areas of said member and unit, all the quadrants of the member 10 may be divided into color spots in the same way, and the quarter-portions of the mask 27 similarly divided. Therefore, as the member 10 rotates behind the mask 27, comparable visual effects are provided over the entire area of the illuminated part of the sign.

The cellular core 12 is shown of honeycomb form, although other cellular configurations having sides or faces that are transverse to the plane of the core may be employed. In any case, the sides or faces 28 are preferably reflective, the material of which said core is made being chosen to provide said sides or faces 28 with a high degree of reflectivity.

As can best be seen in FIG. 2, the light that is being directed toward the front window 7 first passes through the member 10 which, because it rotates, provides a visual display of spots, some of which are colored and others white, and a display of opaque lines which define said spots. Said spots 24 and 25 and lines 23 are divided further, during the rotation of member 10, by the masking lines or stripes 27 that create a flutter that divides said spots and stripes of member 10, further impressing the observer with a flutter-like movement of the color on the member 10.

through the member This impression is enhanced many fold by the reflective faces 28 of the core 12. Since the light transmitted by the member and which is seen directly through the holes in the core, is moving in the direction of rotation of the member 10, while some of the facesZS are transmitting the light in the same direction and others in the opposite or another direction, a constantly moving kaleidoscopic impression on a moving observer is continuously given so long as the sign is kept within view. Any portions of the member 10 that are reflected by the surfaces 28 are moving along said surface oppositely to the direction of movement of said portions and at different angles due to the different angular dispositions of said surfaces.

The secondmask 13 is provided for the purpose of preventing visibility of any light that does not first pass 8 and for covering the central portion of the member and the superposed portions of the mask 27 and core 12. Said mask 13 includes a marginal portion 29 that intercepts light that would be visible outside of the outer edge of the member 10, and a central portion 30 that overstands the slow-moving central portion of member 10.

It will be understood that the invention, as above described, may be varied or modified within the scope of the appended claims. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of the invention herein disclosed, but to avail myself of all modifications that may fall within the spirit and scope of said claims.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the term honeycomb is intended as a generic term for cellular structures with reflective side faces irrespective of the shapes of the spaces defined by said faces; and the term transparent to include both clear and slightly color-tinted areas. The means 10, 11,112 and 13 are preferably in the parallel relationship shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to obtain by Letters Patent is:

1. An illuminated advertising sign comprising:

(a) -a housing having a front window, 7 V

(b) means providing a source of light within said housing the illumination of which is visible through said window,

'(c) a fiat rotatable member having its surface provided with a multiplicity of colored and interspersed transparent area's, said member being disposed between the light source and the window to render the areas thereof visible through said window,

(d) a mask comprising a plurality of opaque stripes interce'pt'ing' the light of the illuminated areas while the flat member is rotating, and

(e) a honeycomb core disposed between said mask and said window and having reflective surface transverse to the plane of the core and along which reflections of said colored and transparent areas move in directions that are opposite to their movement with the moving member.

2. An illuminated sign comprising:

(a) a housing including a light source,

(b) a fiat generally non-transparent member mounted for movement in front of said light source, said flat member having a plurality of light passing transparent areas therein,

(c) means for rotating said fiat member,

(d) ahoneycomb core member-open for passage of light at each of its faces, and mounted in front of and parallel to said flat member,. each honecomb of said core member having reflective wall surfaces that receive light transmitted by said light passing areas, the reflected light appearing to move in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the light passing areas to a viewer facing said sign at an angle.

3. An illuminated advertising sign as recited inclaim 1 and further including a second mask between the core and the window and comprising opaque portions that intercept light from said source outside the extent of the moving member.

4. An illumiated sign according to claim 2 in which:

(a) the flat member, in addition to the light-passing areas, is provided with colored translucent areas, and

(b) a mask disposed between the flat member and the core member, said mask comprising a plurality of opaque stripes that are reversely directed and which define similarly formed stripes through which the mentioned colored and transparent areas of the flat member are v sible while the fiat member is moving,

the opaque stripe intercepting the transmitted light of said areas alternately with the transparent stripes.

References Cited LAWRENCE CHARLES, Pl zm'm' Examiner, 

1. AN ILLUMINATED ADVERTISING SIGN COMPRISING: (A) A HOUSING HAVING A FRONT WINDOW, (B) MEANS PROVIDING A SOURCE OF LIGHT WITHIN SAID HOUSING THE ILLUMINATION OF WHICH IS VISIBLE THROUGH SAID WINDOW, (C) A FLAT ROTATABLE MEMBER HAVING ITS SURFACE PROVIDED WITH A MULTIPLICITY OF COLORED AND INTERSPERSED TRANSPARENT AREAS, SAID MEMBER BEING DISPOSED BETWEEN THE LIGHT SOURCE AND THE WINDOW TO RENDER THE AREAS THEREOF VISIBLE THROUGH SAID WINDOW, (D) A MASK COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF OPAQUE STRIPES INTERCEPTING THE LIGHT OF THE ILLUMINATED AREAS WHILE THE FLAT MEMBER IS ROTATING, AND (E) A HONEYCOMB CORE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID MASK AND SAID WINDOW AND HAVING REFLECTIVE SURFACES TRANSVERSE TO THE PLANE OF THE CORE AND ALONG WHICH REFLECTIONS OF SAID COLORED AND TRANSPARENT AREAS MOVE IN DIRECTIONS THAT ARE OPPOSITE TO THEIR MOVEMENT WITH THE MOVING MEMBER. 